We provide compassionate, insurance-friendly counseling in Nashville
Offices in Nashville, Hendersonville and Gallatin. Virtually in Tennessee and Kentucky.
It can feel exhausting and disappointing to constantly read the room, decide what feels safe to share, or try to stay connected to yourself while you’re moving through spaces that don’t always reflect or understand your lived experience. Questions around identity, gender, culture, belonging, family, and acceptance can feel heavy and leave you wondering if anyone will truly ever get it. We want to be the place where you can set some of that down, talk openly to bring light to how you’re feeling, and start leaning into ways you can feel more steady in your day-to-day with self-trust and confidence.
There are so many aspects of what makes you, you, from sexuality and gender to family values, faith, and cultural expectations. You may feel an obvious tension, or maybe it’s showing up subtly in moments you second-guess yourself or feel pulled in different directions without truly feeling that sense of belonging in certain areas of life.
Sometimes it’s not one big moment of questioning or feeling like the “other” in the room, but a buildup of many small ones that can bring out a range of new emotions and reactions. You can see yourself getting angry, feeling low, editing yourself to figure out where you fit, or shutting out deeper connections to avoid being let down.
A lot of the questions and thoughts that come up may not have quick answers, and create confusion or complexity that adds a layer of friction on top of everyday stress. If you find yourself asking, How do I stay connected to where I come from while being honest about who I am now? How do I set boundaries without losing everyone? How do I move through relationships when acceptance isn’t guaranteed?” We are here to support you.
LGBTQIA+ and cultural identity counseling help to slow things down and get to know everything that matters to you, so together we can listen to your intuition more clearly and sort through the values that you want to live by in a way that feels more honest and manageable in the context of your life.
Identity is personal and layered, which is why we never need you to come in with the perfect language or clear explanation of what’s on your mind to start therapy with us. Our role is to listen closely and ask the thoughtful questions that can help you sort through whatever has been weighing on you or creating curiosity.
Here, your experience in therapy is completely shaped around you. That might look like talking through the way you’d define identity, family dynamics, belonging, or the way you want to be in connection with others. It may also mean talking through boundaries, navigating difficult conversations, or figuring out what fulfills you as you imagine living life wholeheartedly going forward.
Rest assured, you will never be asked to explain who you are to your therapist. We welcome anything that you feel comfortable sharing, and respect what you want this time to look like to make it meaningful to your experience. We stay focused on what you’re carrying right now and guide you in seeing patterns, pressures, and decisions coming up to make space for steps in the direction you’d like to see yourself going.
This is where conversations feel natural, and not analytical of you or overly clinical. We want you to feel safe to be honest, reflect in any way that makes sense for you, and start putting pieces together that help you feel more settled in yourself and your relationships.
Starting therapy that’s effective means you may be more vulnerable and open than other areas of life have allowed to this point. That naturally can bring up some questions about if your therapist will really understand you, if they have experience working with similar experiences, or if they’ll push you to open up faster than you’re ready. These are all valid, and that’s why it’s important to name them here with you.
For some people, it’s also about trust. It’s hard to imagine saying things out loud that you’ve had to carry privately and know that the space you’re building with your therapist is the right one to do this for the first time. We see you in that completely, and welcome every single part of you.
That means the parts that are hesitant, fearful, or have a lot of questions to ask before getting started. You’re allowed to come unsure and encouraged to speak on anything that feels uncomfortable right from the start, so you’re being met with the most respectful and warm environment possible. We’ll regularly be checking in because your feedback and comfort level along the way is how we grow together.
This is where we shift from thinking about how you can change or make things easier for other people to embracing exactly who you are by helping you feel more settled in yourself, clearer in your choices, and less stuck when intrusive thoughts or persistent questions come up.
We’ll take the time to explore anything that feels important, from relationships and your environment, to workplaces and other spaces, to see where things start to feel heavy. From there, we can focus on what would make things feel even a little bit lighter inside.
Explore identity without pressure so you can meet your own experiences with more compassion.
Sort through expectations, guilt, or shame coming up, so things feel clearer and less overwhelming.
Learn how to protect your energy and communicate your needs in ways that feel true to you.
Have a place where you can talk openly without minimizing or filtering your experience.
Understand what feels right for you and where you stand with others.
Start trusting your gut and feel more confident in your decisions.
Finding someone you mesh with and can be completely yourself around is our top priority. We take the time to connect you with someone who will listen first, and never make assumptions. You’re always setting the tone for what matters most to you, and you will never feel like you have to shrink parts of yourself to feel progress with our team.
Addiction / Substance UseAnxietyDepressionLife TransitionsRelational conflict and distress
Complex TraumaLGBTQIA+NeurodivergentPersonality DisordersTeensYoung Adult
AnxietyChristian CounselingDepressionDivorce RecoveryMarriage IssuesReligious Trauma
ADHDAnxietyBipolar DisorderLife TransitionsRelationship ChallengesSelf EsteemWomen’s Issues
We’ll work on navigating relationships, family expectations, and the effort it takes to stay connected to yourself in different environments, so you feel more empowered around setting clearer boundaries and making decisions that reflect who you truly are
We’ll carve out space to explore identity in the context of various relationships and school settings in a way that releases pressure to have everything figured out. That way, we can start to make sense of what teens are feeling and guide them on ways to speak up and move through this stage of life fully supported.
We’ll tend to little ones who may feel confusion or challenges expressing themselves in their formative years, while making space for any feelings that come up along the way and encouraging safety and comfort around being who they are at home, school, and within their communities.
THE DIFFERENCE HORIZON COUNSELING MAKES
Horizon Counseling is a woman-owned mental health practice built on the belief that therapy should feel personal, thoughtful, and accessible. We know how important it is to find support where you don’t have to adjust or leave parts of yourself behind.
Executive Director Emily Runyan had the vision for more people in the Middle Tennessee community to have accessible and meaningful care through insurance, including support for identity, belonging, and the real-life situations that come with them.
With in-person locations in Gallatin, Hendersonville, and Nashville, along with secure online sessions throughout Tennessee, we make it easier to find care that fits your life.
With multiple locations across Middle Tennessee, Horizon Counseling makes it easy to find LGBTQIA+ Counseling close to home and accessible through insurance. Online therapy is also available if that’s the best fit for your schedule and comfort.
We match you to a specialist and schedule your first session within 48 hours.
92% of new clients started within 2 business days last quarter.
